Lakeville South Volleyball Wins 14th Straight Match

The volleyball team has guaranteed itself a chance for the conference crown.

The Cougars beat Eastview 17-25, 25-13, 25-15, 25-20 Tuesday to remain one game behind Eagan in the South Suburban Conference standings. The teams are scheduled to play at 7 p.m. Oct. 18 in Wildcat Country.

“Both teams are going to have to play their ‘A’ game, and whoever does it better is going to win,” said Lakeville South coach Jennifer Nelson.

“I think it’ll be really fun. We want to play our hardest and show them what we can do,” added middle hitter Kaitlin VanWinkle.

To get there, the Cougars (23-1, 7-1 South Suburban Conference) did something they are not accustomed to — losing a game.

In the opening game, Eastview (11-10, 4-4) ran off six straight points while the big South hitters were in the backcourt to take a 17-8 lead en route to the win. Winners of 14 straight matches, the Cougars had lost just one game in their previous 13 starts.

“That’s going to happen from time to time and I think it’s good for us to have that,” Nelson said. “Now there’s a little bit of pressure and it kind of awoke the giant a little bit, especially Monica Turner. Oh my gosh, she was virtually unstoppable for everything she went up for.” Like she’s done all season, the 6-foot-3 Turner was a force at the net routinely driving home kill shots while disrupting the Lightning offensive flow.

“This year Monica about 10 inches to her vertical, and just really has become a go-to player,” Nelson said. “She’s always been an asset on the court, but right now she’s just kind of embraced the role of ‘I want to be the best,’ and she can shoulder a team.”

But both coach and player know that one outstanding player does not a team make. “We’re really close together and we’re all really good friends,” Turner said. “It’s fun.”

According to Nelson, Jazzmyn Tingelhoff has “done an incredible job running our offense,” and the high-flying McKell Anderson is “a stud.” She said Allie Mosser has been strong at receiving serve and Elle Roesner has made many big blocks.

“When we all get together and are supporting each other we do really well,” VanWinkle said.

Eastview fell behind 10-5 and 20-11 in game two as Lakeville South evened the match. The Cougars scored five straight points early in the third game for a 10-4 lead and cruised to the victory.

“In games two and three we didn’t have the fight or the champion attitude,” said Eastview coach Becky Egan.

The teams were close until the midway point of game four before the Cougars slowly pulled away.

Now, it’s a weeklong wait for the chance at Eagan (17-3, 8-0). The Wildcats beat Prior Lake in four games Tuesday for the team’s sixth straight win.

“Right now our biggest thing is keep the bodies rested, stay healthy, and above all, embrace this season, Nelson said. “We try not to put too much pressure on ourselves. That’s what we’ve done all season and it’s worked for us. I think we’re all having fun this year.”